When people find out I’m a book reviewer, they immediately ask me what good books I’ve read lately, which generally leaves me tongue-tied. One would assume that since I read so many books, I’d have numerous recommendations. In fact, I find the opposite to be true. The more books I read, the more the “good” books seem just sort of unremarkable. Of course, the books that are truly great also stand out by default as well.
In reading close to 100 books for my round I judging role for the Cybils awards, this distinction stood out even more than ever. Each of the books that I read were nominated by someone. Someone who read that book, or someone in the publishing house, or a friend of the author thought that the book was worthy of the one nomination that they had. Most were good — really good, even. A few were a little obtuse or wordy, or just not to my liking subject-wise.
But as I read, the good books paled in comparison to the best books. There are books that I liked a lot — a whole lot — that were never even considered for a spot in the top 7.
There’s just something special that separates a good book from a better book from the best of the best. For me, it comes down to a combination of appealing, relatable characters, good writing, and some sort of emotion — be it laughter, or tears, or both.
What is that distinction for you?
Jennifer Donovan truly loves books — even unremarkable ones — but the truly great ones stick with her forever. She blogs at Snapshot.
The Cybils finalists have been announced, and one winner in each category will be awarded on February 14.
I had the same problem as a round 1 judge. I too thought many were good that didn’t make it into the top 7. They were the ones that when reading in class caught the eye of my students. Not the book, me. I laughed or giggled out loud or I cried. The emotion was very real to me. These were the ones the kids wanted to read. Every time I think I have found a great book another one comes along.
Yes, I did lots of giggling and welling up with tears while reading the nominees.
I think that’s the beauty of having a panel, because we all had different opinions and reasons why we liked particular books. I just hope that more people take a hard look at the nominee list or the reviews of some of the nominees that we all liked that were not shortlisted.
This is something that absolutely drives me crazy as a book reviewer and bibliophile. What IS the difference between good and great? My answer is that great books are the ones we remember. Yes, it is a combination of memorable characters and plot and the way it makes us feel, but it also may be a profoundly moving scene or a repeated refrain, or humour, or illustrations in a picture book, or language that makes us reflect and see the world in a new way. In short, something in that book resonates with us and stays long after reading it.
Susan–that’s it for me, too. I always know while I’m reading a book if I’m enjoying it or not, but often before I consider it “great,” I have to sit on it for a bit and see how it’s holding up.